History Main / UnreliableExpositor

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' had one scene narrated via "[[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2000-10-03 The Memoirs of Jud Shafter, K.F.D.A. Commando]]" -- not quite in sync with panels. [[BrickJoke Later]] this [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2009-05-05 bitten him in the butt]] (sorry).

* ''ComicBook/AmazingSpiderMan #1'' opens up with Peter recapping his origin story from ''Amazing Fantasy #15'' for those readers who hadn't read it yet. However, his narration implies that Uncle Ben was killed because Peter was out showing off as Spider-Man instead of being at home to protect him and Aunt May, leaving out the important detail that he'd let the burglar who would go on to murder his uncle get away with an earlier robbery at a TV studio where he was performing as Spidey.

** Also PlayedWith in the ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' anime regarding the Saiyan race and their homeworld. When Goku first meets Kaio, he reveals the history of the Saiyans, saying that a God of their homeworld, got fed up with the Saiyans' evil and destroyed Planet Vegeta with a meteor shower, of which only Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz survived. Of course, as we all know, it was actually [[BigBad Freeza]] who was the one responsible for Planet Vegeta's destruction, and it's later revealed that that planet wasn't even their homeworld (the Saiyans massacred that planet's native species, apparently including its God if it ever existed).

* ''ComicBook/BeastWarsUprising'': The epilogue story "Lio Convoy: Unity Through Tyranny" is part of an in-universe academic dispute over whether Lio Convoy was [[HistoricalHeroUpgrade a saint]] or [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade literally the Devil]] (his actual characterisation being [[UnscrupulousHero rather more complex than either]]), with the author, [[MeaningfulName aptly named Hatchet]], coming down ''hard'' in the latter camp. However, one of his main sources is "Pontiff General Rampage", a historian with a particular interest in the time period under discussion...and who, for ''some reason'', shares a name with a major character in the stories, who 1) was able to regenerate FromASingleCell and 2) hated Lio Convoy from the word go along much the same lines as Hatchet's piece. It's never explicitly ''said'' that his source is the original Rampage, but it is worth noting that when it comes to Transformer names, ''BWU'' goes out of its way to [[OneSteveLimit avoid giving two characters the same name]]...

* ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'':
** The "best" case, of course, is Volothamp Geddarm and his "[[FictionalDocument guides]]" that canonically combine dangerously clever investigations and silly hearsay. [[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archfr/mc Mintiper's Chapbook]] is a Realmslore ''textbook on'' Unreliable Exposition: it consists of short excerpts from verses or tales by [[TheBard Mintiper Moonsilver]], long comments by knowledgeable Keeper of the Vault about events in which Mintiper's "or his source's" alias participated and... even longer Chronicler’s Footnotes that explain how some or other Keeper's notion above is flawed due to his bias toward Silverymoon history and realities and unwarranted skepticism regarding [[SeenItAll the breadth of Mintiper's adventures]].
** The history of [[http://www.candlekeep.com/fr_faq.htm#_Toc16090515 High Moor]]. The resident pissed-off druid in Elminster's Ecologies II, Bara, assumes it to be the result of typical human deforestation. It's the result of a [[FantasticNuke Killing Storm]]. [[EntertaininglyWrong She just assumed based on what she saw and knows,]] and probably never saw a single elf capable ''or'' willing to do so, nor would know, since elves aren't eager to tell anyone else about [[Literature/HorribleHistories less glamorous moments of their past]]. The fact she's a self-professed misanthrope who figures Humans Are Bastards probably didn't help her.
** Also, a [[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rl/20050608a two]]-[[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rl/20050615a part]] article named simply "Trusting in Lore".
* Most background material about how things work in ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'' is inaccurate, while the real truths are mentioned in the Ultraviolet-security chapters. Of course, anyone revealing this information without being of appropriate security clearance (and good luck reaching Ultraviolet as a [[RedShirt Troubleshooter]]) is guilty of treason.
* ''TabletopGame/DarkSun'' has this with the Wanderer. The [[DirectLineToTheAuthor "author"]] of ''The Wanderer's Journal'' (part of the original boxed set) is a self-confessed Unreliable Expositor as he notes that what he has written is the product of sifting a little truth out of quite a lot of lies. Especially since official histories are little more than works of self-aggrandizing propaganda spread by the sorcerer-kings to make themselves look powerful, wise, and impossible to depose. Obviously done so the potential GameMaster wouldn't feel too constrained by what was in the ''Journal'' if they wanted to change something.
** Incidentally the original writers of Dark Sun didn't even know what was true or propaganda. As such the original campaign setting's lore was superseded by the Prism Petad books by Troy Denning. Which revealed the truth about the Sorcerer-Kings, the History of Athas, and why Halflings have a lot in common with Shadow Giants.
* Basically everything in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''. Most codices are [[WrittenByTheWinners written from the perspective of the featured army]], and all other sources are likewise written from an in-universe perspective (generally Imperial). Imperial scholars tend to be pompous, self-assured, and [[AbsoluteXenophobe despise all forms of aliens]], heretics, mutants, traitors, etc., etc., so you can imagine how reliable they are.

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': One strip featuring a G.R.O.S.S. meeting has Hobbes writing down the events of the meeting as it happens, but his account of the event is far more grandiose than what's actually happening (note that Calvin and Hobbes are the only two members of the club).
-->'''Calvin:''' Gentlemen, the purpose of today's meeting is to devise another brilliant plan to annoy our enemy!\\
'''Hobbes:''' "Dictator-for-life Calvin's bold proposal is greeted with huzzahs from membership."\\
'''Calvin:''' We have tolerated the enemy's presence too long, I say!\\
'''Hobbes:''' "Shouts of assent. Much pounding on tables. Three cheers erupt for club ideals. Membership reduced to tears. More huzzahs. Pandemonium ensues."
[[/folder]]

* The opening narration of ''Film/{{Serenity}}'' is delivered as a voiceover, which is then revealed to be a teacher giving a heavily whitewashed, WrittenByTheWinners version of the Alliance's history and the Unification War to River and her elementary school class. [[ChildProdigy River]] sees right through it. It's a clever use of the trope in that it establishes the film's setting for those who haven't seen the [[Series/{{Firefly}} series]], while also showing how the Alliance indoctrinates its citizens. See the film's [[Quotes/{{Serenity}} Quotes]] page for the whole narration.

** Yuki, Mikuru, and Koizumi all have different explanations for what's going on, and it's never confirmed which one is right. They could be lying or just wrong, but Yuki states outright that each of their theories is incompatible with the other two.
** Koizumi is Kyon's primary source of exposition, but he's the worst of the three. In addition to throwing out theories and then pretending it was all just a joke, what he actually believes is still the most suspect, since much of it was just placed in his brain by Haruhi's subconscious. Mikuru is from the future, so she at least knows the world will survive to her time, and Yuki is an alien interface created by a nearly omniscient data entity, but neither of them talks much (Mikuru is brainwashed to be unable to say anything important, and Yuki just doesn't talk much).
* Lampshaded in-universe with ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxyTrilogy.'' While the titular Guide is marketed as the ultimate handbook to the Universe, in truth, it's mostly made up of parts that have been bought off by business companies, entries that haven't been upgraded for decades, and [[BlatantLies things that sounded good at the time.]] When you have folks like Ford Prefect as your roving researchers, it's to be expected.

* Because of the dual nature of the Unchained in ''TabletopGame/DemonTheDescent'', nothing a demon says can be trusted. The gamebook is explicit about this: because a demon's Cover seals their real selves away in a metaphysical bubble, even magic will only reveal what the demon wants to reveal. They can make a statement like "The sky is green" and any use of magical lie-detection powers will read as "True" or "False" depending on what the demon wants.

** As in ''Mass Effect'', the codex has entries on a myriad of topics written by people in-universe. How true the entries are... varies. In the first game, you can get different entries on the same subject based on which Origin story your character is. For many things, it isn't certain whether what you read or what you hear is the truth. DLC quests from ''Inquisition'' reveal that the Chantry, Dwarven, and Elven accounts of ancient history are ''massively'' inaccurate and incomplete.

** In the Wano arc, we see Sarahebi of the Beast Pirates teaching a classroom of children that [[{{Samurai}} Kozuiki Oden and his retainers the Akazaya Nine]] were evil and how [[{{Jerkass}} Orochi]] was the brave hero that defeated them; since these events happened twenty years ago, no child would remember the actual truth.

* In ''Webcomic/MenageA3'', the trope is briefly and explicitly but stylishly demonstrated by Senna in her description to Gary of her falling out with Sandra, [[http://www.ma3comic.com/strips-ma3/she_planned_treachery starting here.]] (She claims that Sandra used supernatural powers. Compare and contrast [[http://www.ma3comic.com/strips-ma3/senna_and_sandra_-_part_1 the true story here.]]) Senna, who evidently loves her ''telenovelas'', isn't the sort to let the truth get in the way of a melodramatic story that shows herself in a much better light than reality.